25 Reasons Why
by KickTheBucket
Summary: A series of one-shots all focused around 25 Reasons Why Guys Like Girls. Blues, Reds, Greens, and, obviously... fluff!
1. Reason One

**A/N**

**So, I'll cut to the chase here.**

**I've got a HUGE case of Writer's Block with my other story, **_**Another Kind of Revenge.**_** To keep the creative juices flowing, I'm making this series of one-shots with the usual pairings.**

**The one-shots will range from AU, to normal universe, to all-dialogue, to 1st person, to 3rd person, to present-tense, to past-tense, to pre-relationship, to relationship, and even just friendship with small hints of fluff.**

**Obvi****ously you know what it's about: 25 Reasons Why Guys Love Girls.**

**I got this idea from a Young Justice story I read, but I'm not exactly copying because it's a different show, with different characters. **

**If you watch Young Justice, read that story, because it's amazing!**

**Anyway, please enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Powerpuff Girls.**

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><p>Reason 1: They always smell good, even if it's just shampoo.<p>

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><p><em>Blues- Pre-Relationship<em>

"I still don't see why we have to sit with the stupid girls," Butch complained gruffly, crossing his arms over his chest in the passengers seat, "What if I wanna sit with the basketball team? Or _other _girls? Ones that wont beat me up every five minutes like Buttercup..."

Brick rolled his eyes as he took a right-hand turn into the parking lot of Townsville's Community Park.

"Because Blossom's my girlfriend and _I _want to sit with _her_," The redhead growled. "Besides, the principal put me in charge of you, and I know you'll go off with that group of jerks you always hang out with and get yourself arrested again. You're sticking with me."

Butch started to mutter under his breath and sank lower into the black leather seat of Brick's red 2004 Ford F-Series truck. "It was _one time_," He growled, "And they ditched me and left me for the cops!"

Choosing to ignore him, Brick changed the object of his attention to his youngest brother, sitting in the back, looking out the window.

"What about you, bro? Are you gonna complain about sitting with 'em, too? You know I'm only forcing you to because Butch'll complain that you get more freedom than him."

Boomer shrugged. "I don't care. All we're gonna do is watch fireworks. It doesn't really matter where we sit, anyway."

Brick raised an eyebrow and his reddish eyes flitted up to his rearview mirror. Boomer was staring out the window, a slight scowl on his pale face and his blonde hair falling into his blue eyes.

The vehicle's occupants remained quiet for a few seconds as Brick began to maneuver around the lot, searching for a place to park.

"Are we there yet?" Butch muttered quietly as Brick spotted a vacancy and drove toward it, parking perfectly and taking the key out of the ignition. The truck shuttered as the engine died.

"Come on," The redhead grumbled, taking off his seatbelt, opening the door and plopping down onto the asphalt below. "And be polite, okay? Don't embarrass me, I really like her."

"Whatever," His dark-haired brother replied, also getting out of the automobile.

Boomer sighed loudly and followed suit, slamming the door behind him. Brick proceeded to lock the truck, and it confirmed it's security with a loud beep.

The three brothers made their way towards the entrance of the park: Two large wrought iron gates with _Townsville Community Park _adorning the top in black metal letters. The entryway was currently open, and streams of people were going in and out of the place.

Luckily they'd found a spot closer to the entrance, so they didn't have to walk far.

The green, manicured grass was nearly hidden under all the people that had gathered together for the fourth of July, and Boomer immediately felt kind of uncomfortable and claustrophobic.

It took them only about five minutes to find Blossom and her sisters, who were sitting on a large blanket at the back of the park under a big oak tree. Blossom saw Brick first and waved him over with a big smile.

Steeling himself, the oldest of the three returned her smile and started towards her, managing to tug Butch along after him while avoiding other people's bodies that were sprawled on top of their own blankets.

Boomer followed soundlessly, hands stuffed in the pockets of his jeans.

"Hey!" Blossom greeted them upon their arrival, standing up and brushing off her tight floral sundress. She stepped over Buttercup who was lying on her back, green hood over her head with her earbuds in her ears.

Once in front of Brick, she stood on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek. He responded by enveloping her in a hug, tangling his fingers in her long auburn hair.

"Alright, enough PDA. It's almost sunset, the show's about to start," Boomer huffed and walked around them, taking a seat next to Bubbles on the edge of the blanket. She was engrossed in a Nicholas Sparks book and twirling the end of her long blonde ponytail with a pointer finger.

Meanwhile Brick and Blossom sat down together while Butch was stuck in the middle. Boomer noticed his trademark smirk light up his face as he leaned down and snatched Buttercup's Ipod and headphones away from her, to which she jumped up and punched him in the arm immediately.

Boomer sighed softly, realizing that he wouldn't be able to enjoy the show much with the two dark-haired teens flailing around and cussing each other out.

Deciding to distract himself and get into a better mood, he adjusted his blue rugby jersey and leaned over, looking over Bubbles' shoulder to see if the title of the book she was reading was printed at the top of the page she was on.

She stiffened visibly as she suddenly realized that she wasn't alone and glanced at her company out of the corner of her eye.

"Wat'cha readin'?" Boomer questioned, voice low.

"Uh..." She said, scooting away a few inches before turning to him, cheeks tinted slightly pink. "It's um... Dear John. I saw the movie and figured I should read the book."

He smiled. "Isn't it the other way around? Read it before you see it?"

"Well, that's predictable," She said with a shrug, "I'm not predictable."

Letting out a small chuckle, the boy responded, "That's good. Predictable's boring."

"I know, right?" With that last comment, she went back to reading her book, drawing her bare knees up to her chest, resting the spine on her thighs and adjusting her shorts with one quick motion.

Boomer looked up at the sun, marveling at the way the sky was changing colors as it sank behind the city in the distance. He was the dreamer of his brothers, and always took the time to look at these things in detail. His eyes dropped to the other people in the park and he glanced over at Brick and Blossom. They were on their backs, close together, murmuring and laughing about something. He couldn't help but look at the other two siblings and wanted to face-palm when he realized that they were playing _Mercy, _both of their faces screwed up in pain.

"God, they're so immature," He scoffed, shaking his head. "When is this stupid thing gonna start?"

Almost as if that had been a cue, a loud explosion flitted through the air, filling the ears of young and old that had gathered to see the fireworks.

People "ooh"d and "ahh"d at the sight as the first part of the show lit up the sky in a line of pink, yellow, and bright green sparks.

Bubbles put down her book and sat up, Brick and Blossom quieted, and even Butch and Buttercup stopped messing around. Smiling at the sudden quiet, Boomer leaned back on his hands and stretched his legs out, starting to enjoy the entertainment.

About halfway through, a moan came from the other side of the blanket. Boomer's eyes widened and he found the strange urge to look over toward the two redheads. Unsurprisingly, the couple of the group was in a tight, intense lip-lock, barely even paying attention to the reason that they were there.

Boomer suppressed a shudder and turned to face the fireworks again, but a sudden gust of wind swept through the park, lifting up the parts of blankets that weren't weighted down by bodies and other objects. Shrill screams sounded around the park, now joining the noise of the exploding rockets a few miles away.

Bubbles' hair was flung into the blonde boy's face and he nearly choked on it, sputtering as the blonde strands made contact with his tongue. He didn't dare close his mouth, he didn't want to accidentally tug any of it out and hurt her. Using his fingers, he separated her golden locks from his tongue and raised her pigtail away from his mouth, up to his nose.

The wind was still blowing, but now it was sending the strong scent of coconut and watermelon into his nostrils. He continued to hold her hair so it wouldn't blow around, but now, he was just sitting there, letting her scent wash over his senses.

_God, Bubbles smells good..._

Then the wind stopped. Around him, people were adjusting their blankets, hair and clothes, and he suddenly became aware that he was just sitting there. Smelling his brother's girlfriend's sister's hair. And said girl was looking right at him, a confused look on her face.

He just continued to hold her soft, blonde tresses, fireworks forgotten.

After about fifteen seconds, she broke the awkwardness with an even more awkward question, one that would involve Boomer actually _speaking._

"Uh... are you... _smelling _my hair?" Bubbles asked, and heat started to rise to Boomer's head. He prayed he wasn't blushing as hard as he thought he was.

"It was an accident," He said stiffly, "The wind, er-it blew it into my mouth, and uh... yeah, sorry 'bout that..." As he trailed off, he gently let go of her hair. It glided through the air, gracefully bumping against her slender arm as it settled back into place.

Boomer suddenly noticed how _pretty _Bubbles was. Her baby blue tank-top was modest, but it still showed her shoulders, arms, collarbone and a fair amount of cleavage. Her shorts were short, but not obnoxiously so, and her muscular legs were tanned and smooth. Her white and blue tennis-shoes were dirty and the laces were frayed at the ends.

His brief assessment ended and his eyes flicked back up to her face, wary.

She was smiling wryly, but her eyes were no longer on him. They were on the colorful display again.

Fireworks completely off of his mind now, Boomer just stared at the blonde girl sitting next to him, his nose twitching as it fought the air and the other scents around it to be able to smell her intoxicating scent.

Finally, unable to resist after a couple of minutes, Boomer transfered his weight to one hand and turned towards her, craning his neck to be able to smell not just her ponytail, but her entire head of hair.

He sniffed quietly, but he saw Bubbles tense and her body start to convulse strangely. Fearing he was creeping her out too much, Boomer opted to just put his head on her tiny shoulder.

It was then that he realized she was laughing.

"What?" He demanded softly, kind of defensively.

"Why are you smelling me?" She asked, her voice betraying the fact that she was smiling.

"...You smell good...," He said, trailing off again, still kind of defensive. "Er... what perfume do you use?"

"I don't. It's just shampoo," She answered, turning her head to him slightly. Their noses brushed.

Fighting back his blush, he slowly wrapped his arms around her petite frame. "Uh... this sounds lame but... can I smell you l-later?"

She giggled, leaning back into his muscular chest, "I'd be honored if you would."


	2. Reason Two

**A/N**

**Woah, I didn't expect for the story to have so many reviews on the first chapter!**

**Thanks to spiceypepper, NAWHdinosaurs, anime3luve, 1000GreenSun, Ikuni Hattori, Pikalover10, KeroNya, ppgrulz123, Fairytale Perception, Hannah, , CrAzIlY unique, and l0vetakesnoprisoners (love your screen-name, by the way).**

**This one isn't as awkward or cutely weird. It's the classic rough-greenness.**

**Yus. You heard me.**

**Greens :)**

**Please enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own road trips, or the Powerpuff Girls.**

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><p>Reason 2: The way their heads always seem to find the right spot on our shoulder.<p>

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><p><em>Greens- Pre-Relationship<em>

"Bet I can stay up the entire drive," Her voice growled lowly, slightly flirtatious and dangerously close to my ear.

Smirking, I turned my head, my dark green eyes greeted by the sight of the top of Blossom's head along with lighter green eyes and the window beyond, giving me a view of the highway outside of the safety of our big van.

"You do, huh?" I chuckled, leaning in closer to seem a little bit more intimidating, but also kind of crushing a tiny redhead in my wake. "How much you willing to wager?"

Her face crumbled, all her emotion channeling to her mouth as she chewed on the inside of her lip in thought, her eyes cast downward.

I raised an eyebrow at her as the seconds passed.

Finally, her green gaze darted up toward me from where I towered over her and her sister, and she gave me a confident sneer. "Twenty bucks."

"You've got yourself a deal, Sunshine," I growled, "Can't wait to see myself being twenty dollars richer."

She rolled her eyes. "And _I _can't wait to see how defeat looks on your face."

"My sexy, strikingly handsome, beautiful, artist's dream of a face?" I pressed, batting my eyelashes and leaning in closer.

"No, your dog-shit ugly, planet-of-the-apes worthy face, you piece of—"

"Guys! Seriously! I'm trying to concentrate on the road!" A sixteen-year-old blonde brother of mine shouted from the driver's seat, earning him a giggle from Bubbles, who sat in the passenger's seat beside him.

"Give 'em a break, Boomer, they're flirting," She whispered, covering her mouth daintily with a feminine hand.

"ARE NOT!" I yelled, practically at the same time as the chick that had just insulted me, and made a bet with me: Both of these extremely dangerous things that it seemed only _she _could get away with.

Realizing what we had just done, we glared at each other, and turned away, looking out our respective windows.

Brick yawned from where he was stretched out in the seat in front of us, having forced all three of us to the very back of the vehicle so he could lay down.

"Boomer's right. Shut up. It's a fourteen hour trip to Denver, and I think we can all agree that it'd be better if it was completely quiet," He said drowsily, draping a red-sleeve-covered arm in front of his eyes.

Blossom scoffed from beside me, leaning forward to peer over the tan suede seat.

"Better for _you. You're_ the one who's sleeping," She hissed, narrowing her coral-colored eyes at her fellow redhead.

"You're just jealous because you're not in my place," He sighed, giving her a lazy grin.

"I _was_ but you made me move like the lazy punk you are."

He knit his eyebrows at her. "Fine. When we stop in Twin Falls and I have to drive, you can sleep, _princess_."

She gave a small, victorious grin, and with a "Thank you," she plopped back into her seat between Buttercup and I.

Rolling my eyes at their elderly-couple-relationship, I rested my arm on my armrest, and my chin on my arm and stared out the window, watching as the sun rose over the mountains in the distance.

It was June 31st, and we were all coming up on our junior year. We'd decided to get away from it all this Fourth of July, and were heading up to camp outside of Denver, Colorado. We had assured our parents that we'd be 'responsible young adults,' and would take turns driving, leaving before the dawn and hopefully reaching there a little after sunset—if we didn't stop too much for Bubbles and her potty-breaks.

We'd honestly just left, and I'd actually been planning on sleeping for the parts of the trip that didn't involve me driving, but now I had this bet with Buttercup. Yay.

Sighing, I looked over at the brunette to see if she'd already given in, although it was very, very unlikely. And it was just as I had suspected. She was playing a game on her iPod.

Realizing what a good idea that was, I pulled out my own MP3 player, turning up the volume to a near-blasting level and finding the roughest song by _Disturbed _that my music library had to offer. I also flicked through some of my apps and games, trying to find one that would involve me concentrating, and passing some time.

Leaning back into the seat and getting more comfortable, I prepared myself for the long drive ahead.

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><p>The digital clock on the dashboard changed again, signaling that it was almost 7 PM at night.<p>

We'd stopped for a snack at 8 AM, lunch at noon, and dinner at 5 PM, along with a few stops for Bubbles and her extremely active bladder—to which she remarked she had that of a squirrel.

Buttercup still hadn't fallen asleep, and neither had I. We'd both neglected the middle seat, which was reserved for someone who wanted to stretch out and sleep until it was time to switch drivers again. The brunette herself was driving, and from where I was sitting in the back, I could already tell that she was getting a little drowsy, as her eyelids were drooping.

The digits changed again on the piece of technology in the front of the car, showing on it's face that it was currently 6:55 PM.

The sun was setting, and it was around the time where drivers were putting their headlights on.

The van shifted as Buttercup drove it to the shoulder of the highway, safely stopping it away from the near-constant flow of traffic. She stifled a yawn as she turned the key in the ignition and stepped out of the vehicle, going around the car to the passenger's seat, where you were supposed to go after your "shift."

I noticed that there was a sign up ahead that said, "Welcome to Grand Junction, Colorado."

Groaning, I knew it was my turn to drive. We'd all drawn straws at the beginning, and I'd picked dead last, getting the longest and last wing of the trip: About four hours.

Buttercup plopped down in to the passenger's seat, slamming the door behind her and effectively waking everyone who had once been asleep.

"Your turn, Butch," She muttered, crossing her arms stiffly.

Muttering curses under my breath, I yanked off my seatbelt and climbed over the seat in front of me, falling on top of my younger brother, who was currently lounging there, in the process.

"Dude, watch it!" He complained, swatting at me as he sat up. I opened the door on the left and climbed out as Bubbles came in through the other side, having been sitting in the passenger's seat before, and ready to take her shift in the sleeper-chair.

Gathering what was happening, Boomer groaned and climbed over the backseat where I had come from, landing in the seat I had just abandoned, right next to Brick.

I slammed the car door behind me as Bubbles giggled guiltily and laid down where her boyfriend had just been.

Walking the two steps to the other door, I re-entered the car in the front compartment, taking the wheel and squeezing it until my knuckles turned white, trying to get used to the feel of driving for the next few hours.

I turned the key in the ignition and the car started up again. I looked for a break in traffic and pulled back onto the interstate, passing the cheery sign I had seen only moments before.

Buttercup yawned in the passenger's seat, raking black hair back from her face and blinking heavily.

"You tired?" I asked, a ghost of a smile gracing my face.

Her features twisted into a fierce scowl. "No way in Hell."

"Figured you might say that," I sighed, going silent. Quietly, while still keeping my eyes on the road, I lifted up the armrest between the two seats that housed the cup holders, a few hidden compartments, and a middle seat.

She glanced down at my action, raising an eyebrow.

"Just in case you want to lay down," I whispered with a smirk, looking at her from the corner of my eye while turning my headlights on as more darkness began to gather in front of me.

"Like I said," She hissed, leaning closer to me, "No way in Hell."

And with that, she turned away, looking out the window and crossing her arms with a small humph.

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><p>About sixty miles out of Denver, my eyelids started to droop. From there I stopped glancing at Buttercup, and stopped trying to see if she was asleep yet. From that point, I was trying not to fall asleep, myself.<p>

I started to pace myself, focusing on certain signs or landmarks on the road, telling myself that if I could make it to one point, I could make it to another one. Just about one more hour. One more…

But as I passed another Shell Station, I felt a heavy weight on my dark-green-hoodie-clad-shoulder. A very unexpected weight.

My eyes shot wide, drowsiness almost completely forgotten, as I glanced down at what was now residing on my shoulder.

My eyes were met by a head of black hair, along with a diagonal profile of a cute nose, long, curled eyelashes, and full, coral-colored lips. Her arms were wrapped around my bicep and her legs were up on the chair she had once been sitting on. Basically, Buttercup was curled up in my side, her head on my shoulder.

Staring down at her in confusion, I completely forgot just how tired I was. From then on, it was just hard to keep my eyes on the road and not on her.

It just felt so right for her to be there, her sweet smell taking up my space and senses.

She alone, even though she probably didn't realize it, made that last hour heaven.

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><p>I pulled into the parking lot of the first hotel I saw and turned the key in the ignition, turning the engine off.<p>

Immediately, my company started shifting in the back seats.

I heard a yawn, and then Brick's voice. "Wha? I thought we were camping, dude, I even packed all the stuff into the compartments in the bottom of the frickin' van! Do you know how long that took me?"

I didn't turn around, I just whispered quietly, because Buttercup was still asleep. "Relax, bro. We've had a long day. We'll stay here for the night and go find a spot to set up camp tomorrow in the afternoon."

It was quiet as people started waking up and stretching, sitting up from their resting spots and rubbing their eyes drowsily.

"Hey, wait a minute," Blossom mused, "Is… Is Buttercup _sleeping _on you?"

Almost as if on cue, the brunette on my shoulder began to stir.

"Hmm?" She hummed, as if her name was literally her wakeup call.

"No, no, no, just go back to sleep," I murmured in her ear, and she just smiled almost drunkenly, and obliged, snuggling deeper into my arm.

"Uhhh…" Boomer trailed off, as it started to get a bit awkward for everyone else.

"Just go inside," I snarled quietly, trying not to jar the girl that had made my shoulder her pillow.

I could almost hear him gulp as everyone started to pile out of the car, leaving me with my self-made burden.

I opened the door with my left hand and kicked it open, leaving my leg there so the door wouldn't slam or close, and then I took the key out of the ignition, sticking it in my pocket.

With that, I leaned down slightly to scoop Buttercup up bridal style, and turned, careful not to hit her head or any other part of her body.

Lifting her out of the vehicle, I turned and closed the door with my leg, trying not to let it slam, but still closing it firmly.

Everyone else was already inside, save for Brick, who was waiting for me, spare key in hand. He pressed a button on the key, and the car locked with a sharp click and a beep.

We walked side-by-side as we entered the building, and it was then that my older brother asked me something that I'd completely forgotten about.

"So… I guess you won the bet, then, huh?" He said, shoving his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

I knit my brows together and turned my head towards him, but then glanced down at the sleeping girl in my arms as she wrapped her hands around her neck and lifted herself up to sleep on my shoulder again, snuggling herself deeper and more comfortably into me.

"Yeah," I sighed, almost dreamily, "Guess so."


	3. Reason Three

**A/N**

**Oh. Mah. Goodness. 19 Reviews for chapter two? You guys move me to tears!**

**Thanks to 1000GreenSun, anim3luvr, l0vetakesnoprisoners, ppgrulz123, spiceypepper, My Silver Wings18, Fairytale Perception, NAWHdinosaurs, Ikuni Hattori, JayJayBrownie, kadienewberg, Joydream, Adork4cartooncouples, I'm Nikolai's wifey Natasha x, piercing-green-eyes, animeskullgirl16, and . :)**

**And also, I've still got Writer's Block for Another Kind of Revenge… Oh, well. Hope I'm keeping you entertained enough here while I figure out what's goin' on over there, heh.**

**Anyway, glad to hear that ya'll liked the Greens. And the Blues.**

**Soooo, I guess I don't want to disappoint. Here are the Reds my good people. :)**

**BUT I tricked you! Because this aint pre-relationship. :**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Powerpuff Girls.**

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><p>Reason 3: How cute they look when they sleep.<p>

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><p><em>Reds- In-relationship<em>

The ceiling was white.

The sheets were white.

The walls were white.

But the bedspread was pink. _Her_ bedspread was pink.

This was all _hers, _and I felt like a dirty, dirty person as I helped her inhabit _her _bed.

As I lay on my back with my arms folded behind my head, looking up at _her_ white, pock-marked ceiling with _her _sheets tangled up around my naked lower-half.

As I thought my selfish, selfish thoughts.

See, we were twenty-two years old, both of us. Been dating since we were just out of high school, freshmen year in college to be exact.

We went to the same one, obviously, and she'd invited me over to her sorority for a graduation party last night, as we'd just graduated that afternoon.

I really shouldn't have come; seeing that I had a job interview early the next day and it probably wouldn't make me very appealing for the job if I had a hangover.

I couldn't resist her though, with her long, luscious red hair and her wide coral-colored eyes and lips. She was seductive, but the nerd didn't even know it. She was a proud virgin, and she loved to boast about it.

Notice how I said _was_, but we'll get to that in just a second.

Anyway, I came over to her sorority for her stupid party. I did it for her because her housemates were just… ugh.

There was lots of alcohol, but surprisingly, I didn't touch half as much as I usually did. Maybe it was the thought of throwing up halfway through the interview the next day that got to me.

But shockingly, little miss wholesome-genius got a _teeny _bit tipsy.

I'd been in the kitchen, sitting on a barstool in front of the island, mingling with some of the other girls' and their boyfriends. Some guy named Mitch and I were debating about sports when she flounced up. I hadn't seen her since the beginning of the night. Some of her friends had dragged her away, giving her shit about what she was wearing. It wasn't that bad, honestly, it's not like I _didn't _like rose-colored sweaters and jeans, but catching a glimpse at the things _they_ were wearing quickly changed my mind and I realized that it might be best for her to go with them, so I told her I'd see her later.

As I was saying, she flounced up in this sexy little number. It was a cherry red dress that hugged her figure and reached her mid-thigh. That wasn't the first thing I noticed, though, I'm not that pervy. The first thing I noticed was that she was slurring my name and that she had alcohol breath. Obviously, clothes weren't the only things her buddies had thrust at her.

Unable to take my eyes off of her, she'd simply taken the opportunity, giggling and hiccupping as she did it. She took my arm and dragged me up the carpeted stairs to her sizable room.

Before we'd even reached the doorway she was unbuttoning my red button up shirt and breathing heavily, and my eyes were probably as big as saucers.

She was _hammered, _and she had no idea what she was doing!

I'd grabbed her hands gently, prying her off of me. She took this the wrong way and went limp in my arms, pulling our hands toward the bottom of her dress as she stood on tiptoe to almost slobber all over my mouth.

I stepped away, putting my hands up in front of me as I released my hold on her wrists.

"Blossom," I had said, "You have no idea what you're doing."

She'd come towards me again, but this time slower, lowering her lids to blink her long, curled eyelashes at me. I couldn't resist, as she stood on tiptoe again, but this time, more graceful as she captured my lips with hers in a lingering kiss.

It was then that she whispered, "Yes I do," Against me and she uh… Let me… y'know.

But those events lead up to this one: Us naked in bed together, me realizing not for the first time that I'm a sick, awful person as I think even more sick, awful thoughts.

Because about an hour ago (Yes, I'd been laying there for an hour) I had realized that I hadn't even thought to use a condom.

Why would I even bring one? I mean it was _Blossom._

And there were so many consequences that came with going without one.

1. A kid, or, well, kids. Hopefully just _a _kid, though, because, eesh. I didn't like kids.

2. A kid.

3. A kid.

4. A kid.

Might I go on?

And I couldn't handle it.

I'd finally decided upon that right now at this very moment, actually. It was the entire reason I was even laying here, staring up at something that wasn't mine, laying in something that wasn't mine, lying next to something that _could be _mine, but after the decision I was about to make, it was very unlikely that something like that would happen.

I'd been warring with myself for an hour about whether I could handle taking care of something that was mine, that I'd helped create. If I could handle changing diapers, or rocking things to sleep, or picking things up from daycare because mommy and daddy were working all day, or if I could handle talking about problems at school and…

I… couldn't handle it. As I've said before.

And as that thought crossed my mind, it was then that I quietly sat up, disturbing the sheets that had been tangled around my legs. I managed to silently slide out of bed and pull on my boxers and then my jeans. I left my shirt for last, holding my breath as I picked it up, and slid my arms through the short sleeves.

I breathed out quickly, thoughts rushing through my mind.

Blossom could handle it. She was strong; she'd be a great mom. I could just go and never look back or see her again… after all; it was my last week here! My roommate would probably vouch for me if she came to the dorm and knocked on our door. He'd tell her I wasn't there. And then I'd leave, change my phone number… she'd met my mom a couple of times, but there was no contact information, and she probably hadn't paid enough attention to know my childhood home's address.

I could avoid her, she could raise the kid by herself, find a better guy to be it's father, one that could put up with hormonal women and children like it was his occupation, and we'd all live happily ever after!

As I was sliding my black cell phone into my pocket, she suddenly started murmuring a sentence. And the last word of this sentence was my name: _Brick._ Said dreamily and lovingly.

A pit grew in my stomach and I unwillingly felt tears itch at the back of my eyes. Breathing deeply I turned around.

_Don't be awake, Blossom, please… it'll make this so hard, _I thought as I scrunched my nose up in preparation to face her bleary eyes and turned around.

But, there she was. On her side, facing me, asleep.

Feeling like even more of a douche, I just watched her, even though I had basically relinquished my claim on her and she was no longer mine. I just let myself indulge one last time.

Her eyes were closed, her face was pale and blotchy, her full lips were parted just a little, allowing me to see her perfect, white teeth. Her hair, which had been in a ponytail the night before, was now down and most of it was flowing across her pillow while some of it stuck to her face in curly strands. She gripped the sheets about her body, hugging them to her in a possessive fashion that also didn't allow me to see any part of her below her shoulders.

She mumbled something, turning over and allowing me a glimpse of her slender back.

She slept like an angel…

The tears were starting to shove through my eye sockets, like persistent children dragging their parents by the hands into a candy shop, and they wouldn't stop.

UGH! AGAIN WITH THE CHILDREN!

Breathing hard, I forced myself to turn around. I could barely see, as my eyes were tearing up, so I hope that that's a good enough explanation as to what I saw through the blur: A small little child, looking up at me.

It was sitting on the floor; it's legs off to the side as it stared up at me, one tiny fist rubbing one dark pink colored eye. Its hair was dark red, but in some places it was lightening with age. And it was a boy. A tiny, baby boy. That looked like both me, and the woman lying in bed behind me. So… I guess it was… _my _baby boy.

This stopped me in my tracks, as it would any other person, because it was a small child that probably wouldn't belong in a sorority house.

As I stared at it, it smiled up at me. Unable to believe my hazy eyes, I blinked them rapidly. But, with the first blink, the baby was gone, only to be replaced by my red and white Reeboks that cluttered the floor where it had been.

Almost filled with relief, I stooped to pick them up, shoving the first one on my right foot before kneeling down to tie it.

She moved again, but this time, it was her leg. It made the bed shake slightly, and she mumbled my name. Again. Like she knew in her sleep that I was leaving, and that I was leaving her with a burden, and that I'd never, ever see her again.

I looked over my shoulder as I finished the bow with shoelaces, and let my red eyes rest upon her face once more.

In her face I could see that baby boy's features. _Our _baby boy's features. That alone, and the fact that she slept so beautifully, made up my mind. Again. But differently this time.

Cursing myself inwardly, and realizing that I'd probably regret this next decision, I pulled my shirt over my head, and kicked my shoe off. Shimmying my pants down my legs again, I crawled back into bed, replacing the sheet over my body where it had been.

Taking a deep breath, I scooted closer to her, wrapping my arms around her small, shapely body.

At my contact, her eyelids fluttered open and she breathed against my arms as she leaned down to kiss my hand.

"Can I sleep some more? I feel really… awful," She said groggily, her voice scratchy and tired.

I chuckled deeply and kissed the top of her head. "Of course you can. Go back to sleep, beautiful."

She nodded blearily, and within seconds, her breathing was deep and rhythmic.

I stared at our hands, hers hugging her own body right above mine, and realized for the first time, that it wasn't all me. I wasn't alone.

We were in this together, and hopefully that was how it would stay.

**A/N**

**Not as mushy as you're used to, and I honestly don't really like this one… sorry if I disappointed anyone!**


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